Oil and gas contractor plans Scottish expansion, creating 110 jobs

An Australian-based oil and gas contractor is creating more than 100 jobs as it expands into Scotland.

Clough, an engineering and project services contractor working in the energy, chemical, mining and mineral sectors, is establishing a new operations centre in Glasgow.

The company says the move - which is being supported with £1.5 million of public finds - will allow it to better serve the European, Middle Eastern and African markets.

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Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Clough was being given £1.5 million of cash under the Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) scheme, with this supporting the creation of 110 jobs in Glasgow.

Ms Sturgeon said: "This company has a long history of working across the globe and they have shown a commitment in investing in the workforce in Scotland. With their expansion to Scotland and in doing so creating 110 jobs which will support a boost to the local economy.

"This is a testament to the quality and skills of the local workforce. Scotland's energy sector boasts strong engineering and manufacturing skills that are globally recognised across the oil and gas industry.

"Scotland already has a world class education system and establishments capable of supporting Clough's need to recruit and develop engineers, project managers and leaders of the future. Working in Scotland allows them to develop their business model to adapt to customer wants and demands. They already have a highly skilled workforce but looking towards their future are ready to take the next step. This funding will help secure this future."

She said RSA funding "supports investment in Scotland's economy and creates jobs for our people", and claimed: "It further strengthens Scotland's position in out-performing the UK for securing inward investment."

Ms Sturgeon added: "The First Minister recently announced that Scotland is on track for a strong year in 2014 in terms of jobs created and safeguarded through RSA assistance, having already exceeded the figure achieved for the previous financial year.

"This is yet another indication of the strong performance in the Scottish economy, which can only be enhanced by the powerful economic levers available to us through independence, which would be used to attract even more jobs and investment."

Kevin Gallagher, Clough chief executive officer and managing director, said the opening of the Glasgow operations centre "represents a key step in Clough's international expansion strategy, and enables our world class engineering, project management, commissioning and operations and maintenance services to support new regions".

He added: "Scotland was selected as the most attractive location for Clough due to its access to world class technical universities and highly experienced engineering resources, combined with its proximity to clients and opportunities in the North Sea, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

"Our Scottish centre will provide engineering support services to projects throughout this region as well as Australasia, helping to enhance value for clients across Clough's extensive project portfolio."

Neil Francis, director of international operations at Scottish Enterprise, said Clough's decision to come to Scotland was "testament to the global reach of our oil and gas industry".

He added: "Despite the obvious distances there are a number of synergies between Scotland and Australia's oil and gas sectors and we have been actively promoting our oil and gas capabilities to the Australian market.

"We look forward to building on Clough's decision to come to here and continuing to work with the company to support its plans for Scotland."

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